The Radical Period of The French Revolution Essay

Robespierre protested against war. He thought that it would split France and convene opposition towards the revolution. The summer of 1792, the French army was on the brink of defeat and Robespierre accused the aristocrats of conspiring against the revolution. In August of 1792 the people of France began to oppose King Louis XVI and Robespierre was elected head of the Paris delegation to the new government, which was put in place September of that same year (Maximilien de Robespierre). The new government was named the National Convention and declared France a republic (Linton).

The Reign of Terror was a period of violence that succeeded the beginning of the French Revolution; it was caused by conflict between two rival political parties, and tens of thousands were executed by guillotine on account of being ‘enemies of the revolution’. The French Revolution started with the storming of the Bastille, and since then the government had been in a state of constant turmoil. Civil war broke out in multiple regions and various foreign countries started attacking France on all sides; a man named Maximilien Robespierre, who belonged to a radical group known as the Jacobins, saw his chance and seized the government along with his fellow extremists. The Jacobins felt that “it was their duty to preserve the revolution, even if it meant violence and terror” which

The recently established constitutional monarchy no longer had a reigning monarch. The new National Convention soon after came into power. The Convention was far more radical than the Assembly; in its first meeting, the Convention declared France a republic. Not long after, it executed Louis XVI, demonstrating its removal from monarchical government as well as its drive to protect the liberty of the people and the security of the state. The Reign of Terror began In March of 1793, when the dictatorial Committee of Public Safety began executing so-called 'traitors', or anyone who disagreed with the new regime. The Convention believed they had created a “republic of virtue,” which was largely founded on ideas from Rousseau’s Social Contract. Civic virtue, the sacrifice of oneself for the good of a republic, was to replace selfish aristocratic and royal corruption. It was in the name of common good that the Committee of Public Safety carried out the policies of the terror. These policies became increasingly violent and cruel as the revolution went on. The guillotine became a popular way to quiet those who didn’t agree with the new regime (doc. 9). Maximilien Robespierre embodied this republic of virtue defended by terror. Robespierre believed that the republic of virtue meant wholehearted support of the republican government and the protection of the state

The French Revolution pitted the Monarchy against the Revolutionaries in a power struggle, but even within the Revolutionary’s group, there were several subgroups vying for power such as, the Girondists (Girondins?) and the Jacobins. The Girondists were the moderate political party and wanted limited democracy for Revolutionary France, whereas, the Jacobins were the radical party that wanted pure democracy for France (Gallant 123) [cite this way?]. Both groups, however, wanted freedom from the dictatorial rule of the Monarchy and the Estate System (capitalized?) that controlled France before the Revolution took place. The Estate System split the citizens of France into three different groups: the First Estate with 10,000 people and the most power, the Second Estate with 400,000 people and moderate power, and the Third Estate with 25 million people and the least power. (Gallant 111) The unfair burdens placed upon the citizens of the Third Estate soon led to the French Revolution in July of 1789, in which democracy and equal rights were sought. At first the Girondists won the governmental spot, but this power struggle eventually led to the Jacobins to gain leadership from 1793-1794. During their short but impactful rule, there were several different types of propaganda that the Jacobins used as political policies to

Beginning in the spring of 1792 and forward, France was in an upheaval. The country was involved in foreign wars, civil war and revolt. While revolutionaries were planning a new government without the king, counter-revolutionaries were plotting the

Robespierre was too dictatorial. Robespierre made plans to purge that committee, but the convention decided to act against

In September of 1793 Robespierre declares the beginning of the Reign of Terror. During this time many innocent people were beheaded for speaking out against the government. The Committee of Public Safety did not have sufficient reason to restrict the rights of the french people and kill them. The increasing pressure from the outside and inside threats did not justify the cruel treatment of the French people who were punished for speaking out, this only caused them to rebel against the government. The committee of public safety used intimidation to control the people instead of using fair laws and regulations. They disregarded the French constitution that the National assembly had previously made. All of this eventually led up to the unhappiness and civil unrest that they had previously wanted

France was under extreme turmoil because of its structure and King Louis XVI, there were many growing tensions throughout France that needed to be dealt with before the revolution was to take over. The three estates in France were under a very unequal system where the majority vote and majority of wealth came from less than 10 percent of the country; many privileges were the given to them like minimal taxes and all authority. The other 90 percent of the country was living in extremely poor conditions and were spending 90 percent of their wages on bread. King Louis XVI continued to charge the third-estate excessive amounts of taxes to pay for his contribution to the American war. Moderates believed they could change these issues through minor reforms, but when that failed the radicals realized it would take a revolution to change the problems that persisted in France. Because strict government control during the Radical stage of the revolution (1792-1794) was placed in society, a dictator of the Radical stage, Maximilien Robespierre was able to achieve more than the moderate stage (1789-1792). There were many great ideas in the moderate stage but they were pursued with the dedication of the leaders in the radical stage, while they were already achieving many of their own goals.

The Real Cause of the French Revolution For hundreds of years historians have tried to find out the real cause

Voltaire was born on 21 November 1694 in Paris, France, the most youthful of five youngsters in a working class family. His dad was François Arouet, a legal official and minor treasury official; his mom was Marie Marguerite d 'Aumart, from an honorable group of Poitou territory. Voltaire (real name François-Marie Arouet) (1694 - 1778) was a French rationalist and essayist of the Time of Edification. His knowledge, mind, and style made him one of France 's most noteworthy authors and savants, regardless of the discussion he attracted. He was a candid supporter of social change (counting the resistance of common freedoms, the flexibility of religion and organized commerce), in spite of the strict oversight laws and cruel punishments of the period, and made utilization of his sarcastic attempts to scrutinize Catholic creed and the French foundations of his day. Alongside John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, his works, and thoughts impacted essential scholars of both the American and French Revolutions. He was a productive author and delivered works in practically every artistic frame (plays, verse, books, expositions, chronicled and logical works, more than 21,000 letters and more than two thousand books and leaflets). This essay will cover, Voltaire 's life and Candide 's production, the explanation of the optimism, how Voltaire uncovered the absence of ladies rights and the unfairness against them. (Cunegonde, the old lady, and Paquette) stories, and Voltaire

The American and French Revolutions are both unforgettable historical events that have made a substantial and severe impact on the present-day society. The American Revolution was an influential time period, lasting from 1774-1783, where the 13 British colonies in the Americas rebelled against the rule of Great Britain for independence. The French Revolution was a period of chaos from 1789 to 1799, where the people of France tried to overthrow their monarchy, King Louis XVI. Both of these Revolutions can certainly be compared to emphasized the similarities and differences of these prominent uprisings. Though extensively similar, the Revolutions differed in what social classes made impacts, the ways of addressing opposing supporters, and

The year 1789 proved to be a pivotal and historical epoch of political upheavals, radical social movements, and the demolition of the old age monarchy in France. The Tennis Court Oath, storming of the Bastille, passage of the Declaration on the Rights of Man and Citizen, and an unprecedented assault on Versailles as well as the use of the guillotine defined the spirit and historical meaning of the French Revolution. Due to the significance of the tumultuous political and social overhaul that took place, many stances have been taken on interpreting the revolution. The ideas formed regarding the interpretation of the causes and effects of the French Revolution are important in understanding the birth of new political ideologies that

On August 10, 1792 insurgents led by Jacobins attacked the royal residence in Paris and arrested the king. The following month, waves of violence done by Parisian Rebels massacred hundreds of accused anti revolutionary people. On January 21, 1793, king Louis XVI was condemned to death for treason and crimes against the state, his wife Marie-Antoinette suffered the same fate nine months later(1755-1793). After the King's execution various ethnic wars broke out against European powers and different divisions in the national convention initiated the French Revolution into the most violent phase. In June 1793 the control of the National Convention was taken by jacobins and instituted radical measures, and adding the establishment of a new calendar and destruction of Christianity. Unleashing the reign of terror, for 10 months suspected enemies of revolution were beheaded. Robespierre which dominated the Committee of Public Safety gave out orders for many killings. By July 28, 1794 Robespierre was

However Jacobins believed in taking extreme measures of violence against those who opposed the revolution, especially other countries. Once Jacobins were in control they increased the size of France’s army and fought against foreign enemies. They were able to win these battles but most were not happy that this Reign of Terror was taking away from the issues the French Revolution had set out to change. In one his speeches Robespierre said, “If the spring of popular government in time of peace is virtue, the springs of popular government in revolution are at once virtue and terror: virtue, without which terror is fatal; terror, without which virtue is powerless. Terror is nothing other than justice, prompt, severe, inflexible...It has been said that terror is the principle of despotic government. Does your government therefore resemble despotism? Yes, as the sword that gleams in the hands of the heroes of liberty resembles that with which the henchmen of tyranny are armed” (Robespierre, 1794). In this quote Robespierre owns up to the fact the Jacobins are out to create peace and virtue but in order to do that they must terrorize. His reasoning for terrorizing both foreign and domestic enemies, and executing thousands of people is summed up by wanting an unrealistic utopia. Robespierre in this quote is also admitting to using the same tactics as tyrants to achieve victory for

The French Revolution was a period of time from 1789 to 1799 in France where there was political instability. It officially began on the 14th of July, 1789, when the Bastille, which was a symbol of the King’s harsh policies, was stormed. The King, Louis XVI, the Queen, Marie-Antoinette and about 40,000 people were all brutally murdered. But there was also a positive side, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen was formally adopted on August 1789 and feudalism was abolished. This essay will address the issues of the three estates system, food shortages and the fiscal crisis. It will also be argued that the most significant cause of the French Revolution was the social inequality that stemmed from the three estates system.